Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin
Chapter Nine:
Silence filled the cold atmosphere. As the moon revealed itself from behind the clouds, light was slowly beginning to shine upon the dark and gloomy park. There, two men stood as impassive and calm as ever, each staring hard into the other's eyes. It was hard amber against deep yellow (A/N: Sorry did not really know Saito's eyes colour.)
'What kind of stunt is he trying to pull?' Battousai thought.
He was already in his Battoujutsu stance, ready to attack at any moment. Whereas Saito on the other hand, merely stood as he was, one hand placed on the hitch of his sword, smiling slyly at Battousai, as if silently mocking him.
'Hmph…cocky old man…I'll wipe that smile off your face in just a minute.'
At last, as the clouds covered the moon once more, Battousai let out a loud battle cry as he charged towards Saito. Battousai thought his blade would make contact with Saito's flesh, yet to his surprise Saito disappeared.
"Shit." He silently cursed. "Where in blazers did he go?" His answer soon came when he heard a crafty voice from behind him.
"Tsk tsk tsk… It seems as though Battousai here is starting to lose his touch," Battousai snarled at that last comment.
"Don't be too sure of it!" he replied as he disappeared into thin air.
'So he wants to play hide-and-go-seek. Ok, let's do it your way then,' Saito thought to himself. He began surveying his surroundings, trying to detect Battousai's presence. Finally after waiting for a moment or two, Saito grew impatient.
"Come out Battousai! I don't have all day to wait you know…Why not we just stop this silly game and…" before Saito could finish what he had to say, he was bluntly cut off by Battousai's sudden attack from behind. Fortunately for Saito, he managed to draw out his sword in time, thus avoiding Battousai's deadly slash.
Not willing to give up, Battousai used this failure to his advantage by leaping up into the air, and continued to carry out his next move.
"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryu-tsui-sen!" he shouted as he attempted to bring his katana down upon Saito. Yet sadly his efforts were cut short when Saito too leapt into the air, delivering an attack that not only blocked Battousai's move but also caused him to fall straight down onto the hard, cold ground.
As Saito landed promptly on the ground, he noticed that Battousai was struggling to get up to his standing position, despite the injuries he had suffered.
"My, my, looks like you're having a difficult time, my boy," Saito smirked.
Battousai cursed inwardly, he just could not believe that this old man here actually managed to wound him even once. He had definitely underestimated his opponent this time.
"If you're done with your so-call 'attacks', perhaps it's my turn now," Saito said as he got into his fighting stance.
'A Gatotsu.'
"Prepare yourself," Upon hearing that, Battousai got into his Battoujutsu stance. "For the real battle begins here." With that, Saito charged towards Battousai with great speed. Saito's sword soon came crashing down onto Battousai's blade, creating great impact, causing Battousai to retreat a few steps back so as to prevent any potential injuries.
But as he did so, Saito surprised him with a sudden assail from behind. This time round however, Battousai wasn't quick enough to avoid it, thus received a deep gash on his back. Battousai, upon feeling the blade on his skin, immediately flinched. The pain was so agonizing and excruciating that Battousai was obliged to crouch down, hoping to ease the pain.
"Relax…I can see that you are kind of tense," Saito remarked as he began to light a cigarette. Battousai looked up at Saito, eyes blazing in anger. If looks could kill, Saito would have been long dead. "By the way, if you were wondering what attack that was, let me kindly enlighten you."
As he took a deep puff of his cigarette, he continued, "The first attack was known to be as a Gatotsu Zeroshiki. This attack need not that much energy to start with but delivers a relatively powerful blow to one's opponents at the end. Rather peculiar, don't you think?"
Silence.
"haha…I guess it is time for this little game of ours to finally come to an end. I'll let you know that I have enjoyed myself thus far, and it is a shame indeed to be able to finish you off this easily. I would have expected better from you." Saito smirked as he flicked his cigarette away, and got into another Gatotsu stance.
'Kuso…' Battousai thought as he struggled to get up.
"Ready or not…here I come…" Saito said as he charged towards Battousai once more, this time with a much greater speed. Just as it seems that Saito was finally able to avenge the death of his comrade, Battousai plunged his sword down into the ground.
"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Do-ryu-sen!" he shouted as the ground exploded between the two, sending rocks flying towards both men. At the sight of this, Saito immediately ceased his movement so as to avoid getting hit. As the dust from the explosion began to clear away, Saito cursed after realizing that Battousai had escaped.
"Nah…too risky…"
"Ok, how about this one?" Kaoru said as she showed her younger brother the job ad.
"Hmm…definitely…a no. The hours are too long…"
"…Fine…" Kaoru replied annoyingly as she crushed the piece of paper in her hand and threw it into the pile of the other 'rejects'. It had already been at least an hour ago since the duo started viewing each and every job application in the newspaper. She had started looking for a job again, since the last one didn't work out exactly as she planed it to be
Kaoru was starting to get a bit irritated with Yahiko's behavior. It seems as though no matter what job ad she picks, he would either reject it or pass a crude comment about her taste in jobs and begin criticizing her.
'I've never seen such a fussy boy before…' she thought irritably to herself.
"Alright! I found one more…this is the last one!" Kaoru said pleasingly. "I have the feeling that this should be the one. The one that will bring us the dough; the one that will bring us out of misery, the one…"
"The one that has the lousiest workplace and lowest pay I have ever seen. Plus no meals included! Definitely your worst choice. No wonder you are still jobless till now…" Yahiko said smugly. "By the way, what's taking Sano so long with our supper? I'm famished…"
That did it. The last comment Yahiko made just triggered off Kaoru's temper. Here she was trying her best to find both of them a suitable job each, and there he was thinking about luxurious job opportunities and…food.
"Well excuse me, you are jobless too! And can you stop thinking about food for once? You are such a glutton, Yahiko-CHAN!"
"Hey don't blame me if you have a knack for finding lousy jobs BUSU!"
"Why you little brat! I ought to…"
"Do what? Come on I dare you to!" With that, both Kaoru and Yahiko grabbed their bokkens and got into fighting positions.
"I'm gonna whack you so hard that you wish you were never born!"
"Oh yeah? Your hits are so…'girly', I bet that they can't even injure a bug!" Tension increased between the two siblings, each that hardheaded and stubborn, not willing to give way to the other. Then, just as they were about to start off that match…
"Ok, I'm back! Look what I got for ya all! There's chicken and fish and…BANG!" Before Sano could finish his sentence, he was rudely cut off when Kaoru accidentally whacked him on the head. With that, Sano fainted; his body came toppling down onto the hard floor.
"Oh no…SANO!"
"OH NO! THE FOOD!"
"YAHIKO! SANO JUST FAINTED, AND ALL YOU CAN CARE ABOUT IS FOOD?"
"Well DUH! It's not good to waste food. Plus what if the food dirtied the floor? Do you know HOW LONG it took me to clean it this afternoon?"
"That's NOT the point! Sano just got knocked out, and we have to help him."
"Woah, wait a minute! What do you mean by 'WE'. There's no WE in this situation, YOU knocked him out, not ME. So YOU'RE at fault."
"SO? It's our duty to help our big brother." The two soon got into another heated argument to see who was right, and who was wrong.
"Ok, ok, fine! I'm at fault. I'll go out and buy supper again, while you stay here to clear up the mess and take care of Sano."
"Fine." Yahiko said.
"Great, we finally agreed on something. So, I'll see you guys later." Kaoru said as she grabbed her coat and ran out of the apartment.
'I'm glad she could see things my way for once. After all, I…wait a minute…' Yahiko thought to himself as he observed his surroundings: The floor was in a mess and Sano was still unconscious. 'Why does it seems as though I have more things to take care of?'
"Mou…" Kaoru said to herself. She had been in town for quite a while now, and after searching from store to store, finally found some foodstuff that cost within her budget.
'Things are so expensive. 20 bucks is hardly enough to buy anything now a days,' She thought despairingly. (A/N: I know I used yen in previous chapters before, but I found out that dollars was much easier for me to calculate. Gomen for any confusion.) Then, as she was on her way home, she happened to chance upon a job ad, pasted outside a busy restaurant.
AKABEKO
JOB HELPERS NEEDED
PAY IS NEGOTIABLE AND MEALS INCLUDED
INTERESTED, PLEASE COME FOR A WALK-IN INTERVIEW
"This job's is perfect for me and Yahiko!" Kaoru said to herself, as she entered the busy restaurant, in the hope of being able to clinch a job deal for both Yahiko and herself.
Battousai ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He was beginning to feel tired and drained due to his excessive bleeding.
'Shit, I have to hide someway, that old wolf is hot on my heels.' He soon stopped dead on his tracks, and began looking for a suitable place to hide himself. After a while, he found the perfect place: A dark alley.
'Perfect.' He smirked, as he limped towards the dark alley.
-----------------
Akabeko
-----------------
"Excuse me, I saw your job advertisement outside your restaurant and am interested in it. Are you the one I should ask for the interview?" Kaoru asked a one of the waitresses.
"Oh no! I'm not the one," The girl with short brown hair, and brown eyes said. "The one you should go to is Tae-san. She's the person in-charge."
"Mind telling me where I can find her?"
"She's over there at the counter."
"Ok, thanks."
Kaoru briskly made her way through the noisy restaurant towards the counter at the other end. 'Boy, no wonder they need more help. Their business is doing so…well.' As Kaoru reached the counter, a pleasant looking woman greeted her. She had her hair tied in a white bandana, and had a white apron on.
"Konnichiwa! Welcome to Akabeko, how may I help you?"
"Yes, I'm here to reply to your job ad. I was wondering do you still have any more positions left?"
"Indeed we do. As you can see our restaurant is booming with business, and we are short-handed."
"Great! Cause me and my younger brother is looking for a job right now. We don't mind not being paid much, and we are really hard working and efficient workers. Are meals really included? Sorry if that sounded rude cause my brother has a monstrous appetite and…" Kaoru said, speeding though every word.
"Calm down, no need to get all piped up. Don't worry; I believe that you and your brother are going to be excellent helpers here. Meals are definitely provided and the starting pay is $50 a day. Is that alright with you?"
Kaoru could not believe her ears. After searching for so long, someone with the perfect job opportunity finally gave them a chance. She was elated and ecstatic! "Yes, YES! ARIGATO! I assure you that you won't regret your decision. When can we start?"
"Glad to know you are satisfied. You have to start work next Monday because we will need time to order your new uniforms and all…so…"
"No problem! We will report for work next Monday in the early morning. Thank you, thank you!" Kaoru said happily as she hugged Tae. After thanking Tae once more, she burst out of the restaurant, rushing home to tell her brothers of the good news.
Battousai hid in one of the deepest corners of the dark alley. He knew that the chances of Saito finding him was 50-50, thus he held his katana close to his body, preparing himself to strike at any intruder at all times. Battousai reached behind him, as he withdrew his hand; he noticed that he was still bleeding.
"Shit that Saito. When I get my revenge…' his thoughts were interrupted when he heard someone running. He watched vigilantly at who might be the one causing those tracks.
Kaoru was running home as fast as her two legs could carry her. She just couldn't wait to see the look on Yahiko's and Sano's faces when she break the happy news to them.
(Thunder)
'Oh swell! Looks like it's going to rain again.' Kaoru said to herself as she began walking faster.
Battousai watched as the young teenager sprinted her way across the alley. Just as he thought that she was of no threat to him, he heard something dropped and was immediately followed by the sound of she stopping.
"Why does things always seem to not go one's way when one's in a rush." She murmured annoyingly to herself as she retraced her steps to retrieve the dropped item. As she bent down, she noticed to her surprise, that there was blood on the ground. Before long, she came to know that that there was a blood trail leading to the dark alley.
"Funny…" she said to herself. Having her curiosity get the better of her, she began to follow the bloody trail.
"Hello?" she called out. "Is anyone there? Is anyone injured? I can lend a hand…" Kaoru took slow and careful steps, scrutinizing every single corner in the alley. She did not realized that every step she took, was actually leading her nearer and nearer towards the red-hair assassin, who was at that point ready to attack.
Just as Kaoru was about to leave the alley, she heard a crunching sound from behind her. Before she could even have the chance to see what had made that sound, she found herself pinned against the brick wall of the alley, with a sharp blade against her neck.
'It's her…' he thought.
He wanted so much to kill the girl then and there, thus getting rid of any possible threats. Yet he couldn't, something was holding him back. Kaoru tried her best to distinguish her mysterious captor. But all she could see through the darkness was his striking amber eyes.
Just then, the sound of thunder boomed through the atmosphere, and rain followed soon after.
"Just who are you? Why are you doing this to me? What did I ever do to you?" Kaoru asked angrily. She could not take this lying down anymore, all she had wanted to do was to help whoever was injured and to think this was what she got in return.
Battousai was astounded. This girl here is facing death right in the face, yet she still showed no signs of fear, and even had the guts to talk back to him. Millions of questions concerning this peculiar girl came rushing to his head all at once.
As Kaoru was just about to continue what she had to say, she noticed blood dripping down her hand. It hit her; this man here could be badly injured and seriously needed treatment.
"You're hurt."
"That's none of your business…"
"Well sorry dear sir, but since you are pinning me against a wall, I have no choice but to MAKE it my business. You seriously need help."
Battousai was beginning to feel dizzy, his head was getting heavier by the minute, he blinked several times trying to rid him of his giddiness, but to no avail. As he passed out before Kaoru, he retorted back: "No, I do… not…" The sword he was holding fell to the ground with a heavy clanging sound, and his body fell forward towards Kaoru who managed to catch him in time.
Kaoru held the redheaded man before her, and winced a bit at how heavy he was. "Yes, you do." She said to the unconscious man. As she proceeded to lift the man up, she finally realized who her assailant was.
"Battousai?" she said to herself. She stood there for a moment, trying to think of a theory of what might have happened to him.
'Snap out of it Kaoru, we have a dying man here! There's no time to dilly nor dally.' Her mind screamed. With that, she lifted one of Battousai's arms over her shoulder, and quickly began making her way out of the alley.
"Arg…. My head! My poor head!" Sano whined as he adjusted the ice pack on his head.
"Quit your complaining, you're not the one cleaning up the mess here." Yahiko said irritably as he wiped off the remaining food on the floor. "There! FINALLY! Kaoru had better bring home some good grub!"
"I just don't understand how you two can fight at a time like this. You both should be cooperating." Sano said as he got up, his hand still holding on to the ice pack on his head.
"Hey! I tried to help! She started it," Yahiko snapped back as he carried the bucket of dirty water and cloths into the kitchen.
(Grr…)
("…")
"Don't look at me like that. I can't help it if my tummy's rumbling."
"Yeah, but THAT loud?"
"Hey, I'm hungry, okay? Where's that BUSU! I'm…"
(BANG! BANG! BANG!)
"Yahiko, open the door."
"Me? Why me? You're nearer to it."
"Cause I'm still injured, and I'll bash you up if you don't. So hurry up!" Upon hearing Sano's answer, Yahiko grumpily made his way to the door.
"Yeah, yeah! I'm coming, hold your horses," As he opened the door, he was shocked to see his sister carrying a man with flaming hair, all drenched from head to toe.
"Yahiko quit your staring and move it."
"What happened?" he shouted as he made way for his sister. Upon seeing Kaoru, Sano immediately got up to help her with the man.
"I met this man in the dark ally."
"Gee Kaoru, when I told you to pick up guys from the streets, I didn't literally mean this!" Hearing this, Kaoru made a face and whacked Sano on the head.
"No you idiot, he was injured! I had to help him, so I brought him back here."
Rubbing his head, Sano took a closer look at the stranger. "Battousai?" he finally said in amazement.
"Battousai?"
"No time to explain. I have to rush out to find Megumi as quickly as possible. Sano you bring Battousai to your room and try to stop the bleeding. Yahiko, you help bring this stuff to the kitchen and help Sano. I'll be back real soon," Kaoru said, as she passed Yahiko the bag of food and rushed out.
"Ok brat, get me a pail of water and clean cloths, while I bring Battousai here into my room."
"Right!" As Sano began carrying Battousai towards his room, Yahiko rushed to the kitchen to carry out his orders. Just as he was about to proceed to Sano's room, he noticed drops of blood all over the living room floor.
With an irritant look on his face, he thought to himself: 'Great…I just cleaned the floor."
Kaoru entered the dark room where the red haired assassin laid. To think that for a moment there, they could have lost him for good. From Megumi's point of view, he should thank his lucky stars that he managed to pull through despite the amount of blood he had lost. Kaoru watched Battousai's sleeping form. As she settled herself upon one of the chairs, she began thinking back the words Megumi told her before she left.
--------------------
Flashback:
Kaoru paced frantically along the corridor, waiting patiently for the verdict to be pass. It had already been an hour since Megumi had entered the room with Sano, and yet there was still no news on how Battousai was doing. The only time Sano came out was to get a new bucket of water, after that he just rushed right back in without saying a word.
"What's taking them so long?"
"Relax Busu. Megumi's a skilled doctor; she can definitely help this Battousai person. Besides Sano's there with her. Surely if you can't trust Megumi, you can trust your own brother." Yahiko assured his sister, as he continued to scrub the floor.
"I guess…but…"
"No buts." Yahiko retorted as he stood up. "Anyways, from the way you are reacting, I would say that you and Battousai have a connection of some sort. Is he your boyfriend or something?"
"NO! I'm just worried for him, that's all. He was bleeding so much and…"
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever!"
"Arg… Shut up you brat!"
"Make me!"
"Why I oughta…"Before Kaoru could say anymore, the door to Sano's room opened. After which Sano followed by a very exhausted Megumi came out. Kaoru, at that moment, forgetting her anger, rushed towards Sano.
"How is he? Is he alright? Is he dead?"
"Calm down tanuki. He's fine. I just gave him a blood transfusion, and his condition has stabilized. All he need now is lots of rest."
"Yeah Kaoru, Battousai been bashed up quite bad. Two ribs broken, a deep cut on the bad, sprained leg. Hmph, he's one tough little cookie."
"Youkata. Thanks Megumi for your help."
"No need for that. It is my job after all."
"JOB? Oh yes before I forget! Yahiko I found us both a job!"
"Really? Where? Not as cleaners I hope?"
"Of course not! A place named Akabeko agreed to let us work there. We start next week! Plus meals are provided!"
"Really? Cool! I heard of Akabeko, it's a real neat restaurant. Great food, great service…"
"Yeah, yeah, just don't forget. You are a worker there, not a customer." Kaoru said as she ruffled his hair.
"Alright already, I get it. Just don't mess with my hair." He replied as he whacked his sister's hand away from his hair.
"Speaking of that, I just remember I have something to ask rooster head here."
"Who me?"
"Do you see any other rooster-headed man here? Of course you! Man, I'm beginning to have second thoughts to asking you to help out in my clinic."
"Hey! What do you mean by…clinic? Help out? Are you offering me a job?"
"Obviously! You are slow. I am recently short-handed and thought that maybe you could…"
"Say no more. I would gladly accept your offer. Thanks a bunch, fox!" he replied, hugging her.
"Ok, ok just don't go all soft on me."
"Hey lady, you sure you want Sano here as your assistant?" Yahiko asked as he tugged Megumi's coat. "I mean he's…"
"What did you say runt?" Sano shouted as he waved his fist at Yahiko. Before they knew it, the duo started out a heated argument that soon ended in a brawl.
"While they're busy, Kaoru I have to tell you something very important to tell you."
"What is it, Megumi?"
"Well, it's like this, Battousai's well, not your average kind of guy. He's the silent type and requires a lot of patience to deal with. So go easy on the fellow."
"Eh…what're you're saying is…"
"You know what I mean. I believe he cares for you."
"If you mean carrying me in the rain for an hour or two caring then he's got a weird way of showing it."
"That's not the point. I mean you do care for him. So I hope you can bring Battousai out of his shell. It's not his fault to begin with, it's just the way he's brought up to be."
"Brought up?"
"Oh would you look at the time! It's rather late already, so I better get going. Think about what I have said Kaoru dear. I'll be visiting shortly to give Battousai another check-up." She said sweetly as if nothing had happened at all.
"But wait Megumi, you still haven't…"
"Bye, rooster head! I expect see you bright and early tomorrow at the clinic! You better not be late," she shouted towards the two brawling men. "See you soon, Kaoru." With that, she turned and made her way out of the old apartment, not allowing Kaoru to finish what she had to say.
End of flashback------------------------------
"Battousai caring for me?" She said as she laid her head back. "Like that would ever…happen…" she whispered as she soon dozed off to sleep.
"Saito-sama, we have urgent news to report."
"What is it?" Saito said impassively as he took another puff of his cigarette.
"It seems as though another one of our base had been destroyed."
"What!" Saito said as he banged his hand on the wooden desk.
"It's true Sir. The south base had been blown to pieces. There were no survivors," The young messenger stammered, not daring to meet the eyes of his superior.
'Damn! First Battousai, now some freak that's going about blowing up Shinsengumi's bases. What next?'
"However sir, we recently also found out another piece of news." Saito's eyebrow twitched at the last statement. "It seems that we're not the only one suffering from these attacks. The Ishinshishi had also experienced similar incidents and are thoroughly annoyed by it."
'Ah…looks like Katsura isn't the one going around doing the dirty work after all. Yet still who could it be?'
"You may be dismissed," Saito soon said. As the boy left, Saito sat there thinking for a moment or two. He knew that the only way to get through this crisis was to do the thing he swore never to do.
"Hello, Katsura? We need to talk…."
Battousai soon awoke to the sound of birds chirping. He was annoyed by it, and would have killed them if he weren't all bandaged up. He tried to slowly lift himself up to sitting position. As he did, his eyes soon chanced upon another sleeping form in the room. Kaoru slept silently in her chair, unaware of another's gaze.
Battousai first thoughts were what she doing in his house and where in the world was his sword. Then it occurred to him, he wasn't home at all. It took him some time to recall the past events, but his thoughts were soon interrupted by a shuffling noise.
Kaoru stretched her tired body and let out a yawn. 'Boy am I exhausted, after last night's events…' that was when she realized that she was still in the same room as Battousai. As she rubbed and opened her eyes, she was instantly greeted with Battousai's amber slits. She immediately sat up, eyes never leaving Battousai's.
'He's awake!' Silence filled the air. Just as Kaoru thought she should make the first move, Battousai took the initiative.
"Where am I? What have you done to my sword?" he asked her in a hostile voice.
"I…Well…You were injured, and…so…I brought you back to my house and…"
"I didn't ask you for your help! Why did you have to be so nosey?" he said as he threw the blanket aside, and sat at the edge of the bed. Kaoru was speechless, here she was concerned for this man's life, and here he was criticizing her actions, not once appreciating what she had done for him.
"Well excuse me! I'm sorry I helped you! Would you like me to escort you back to the alley and leave you as you were yesterday?"
"That would be fine," Kaoru wasn't expecting such an answer. Never the less, she held her ground and continued to argue back.
"Well…that's too bad because under Megumi's orders, I am to leave you in bed! So that's that!" she shouted as she stomped her way towards the door.
"Wait!" Kaoru stopped. She smiled slyly to herself. 'I knew he would relent….'
"You still haven't answered where my sword is?" Kaoru felt as if a ton of bricks has fallen upon her, this man was impossible. Had he really no feelings nor emotions at all? Feeling her blood boil, Kaoru swirled around and replied:
"I lost it."
Battousai, upon hearing the answer, lost his cool. His most prized possession, his weapon, and his protection, gone!
"Lost? What do you mean by lost?" he said as he struggled to get up.
Kaoru at that point was facing the door, unaware of Battousai's actions, continued to retort back.
"I suppose I left it at the alley we were last night. Maybe the garbage man collected already? I don't know! Do I look like I…" her sentence was cut short when she turned and found herself facing Battousai. His face was just a few inches away from hers. Kaoru found herself trapped between the door and Battousai.
"Let me ask again. My sword, where is it? And I expect a decent answer this time, or else…" he said in a low, husky tone. Kaoru could feel his breath against her face, for once she felt helpless against him.
"I…I…" Before Kaoru could answer, the door behind her opened.